User blog:JohnnyOTGS/Johnny's Crazy States~How the States got their names (Part 1)
Hello again and this is another edition of Johnny's Crazy States. Today is the first part of 2 parts of knowing the names of our beloved states. Many people really don't know the origins behind the names of their states. Some are quite easy to find out where the name of a specific state while some are quite difficult, and some you may not really expect the origin of the state's name. Delaware Our first state has some unusual origins on where it got it's name. It was named after Thomas West 3rd Baron De La Warr and was the first Governor-General of Jamestown after it's president during the first Anglo-Powhatan War was killed by the Powhatan Tribe. Pennsylvania Pennsylvania is quite easy as it was named by it's founder William Penn as he had huge ties to the British King as well as the Quakers. The British owed him a great debt and have made the colony of Pennsylvania (translated as Penn's Woods) in 1680. New Jersey The State of New Jersey is named the biggest island in the British Channel known simply as Jersey ''which was the birthplace of one of the colony's co-founders ''Sir George de Carteret. But it was going to be named New Caesarena after the famed Roman Leader Julius Caesar as the island was thought to be named Caesarena. Georgia Plain and simple, the state of Georgia is named after King George II. But it may have deeper routes. It also could be also be named after Saint George which is also derived from the Greek word, Georgos ''which means both Earth and Work. Connecticut A bit more difficult this time. It can be possible that the name of Connecticut came from the Eastern Anglonquian name of ''quinnitukqut ''which came from the southern regions of New England which could mean in modern English ''"At the long tidal river" which could refer to the river that runs through the state which would be chosen as the name of the state. Massachusetts The name for Massachusetts is also a bit complicated. It could be a plural for Massachusett which is an Eastern Anglonquian for "Near (or at) the great hill" this may refer to the Great Blue Hill which separate the towns of both Milton and Canton. Maryland This state got it's name from the wife of King Charles I named Henrietta Maria. It could be simply because of the female name of Mary which is Hebrew for either "Bitterness" or "Rebelliousness" it could also be Egyptian for "Love" ''or ''"Beloved". North Carolina/South Carolina The names for both Carolinas have origins that you may not expect. It came from King Charles I, but it may have deeper routes as it may have some old French origins as Charles (the name) derives from the Frankish name Karl which means either "man" or "Husband". The obvious naming of these 2 states is because the states was once one single colony which had heavy connections to the British. But it was geography and the changing of cultures is what separate the colonies. New Hampshire Very simple with the naming of New Hampshire. It was basically named after a county in Great Britian named Hampshire. Virginia/West Virginia The name of Virginia was named after the famous British Queen Elizabeth I. She was named Biblically the "Virgin Mary" as she never married. So, this was named after the Land of the Virgins. West Virginia went through many names when it became a state in 1863. It had names such as Westsylvania ''(Western Woods) and even ''Pennsyltucky. Mainly because the state borders both Pennsylvania and Kentucky, another name was Kanahwa which is after the state's longest river. But because the names were either disputed or even hard to pronounce and just decided on West Virginia. New York Another easy but yet difficult for the name of New York. Yes, it was named after the Duke of York. But the word "York" could be from the Latin word "Eboracum" and even he Old English name Jorvik and even Brythonic Celtic word Eborakon or "Yew-Tree Estate". Rhode Island Another more complicated name. It may be Dutch for "Red" but it's Dutch roots are much deeper as it may refer to the Dutch "Aquidneck Island" or even for roodt eylandt or rood eiland. It can even be Greek roots for the Greek Island known as the "Island of Rhodes". Vermont The name for Vermont comes from the French words of "Green" ''and "''Mountain". Vermont was it's own sovereign nation with it's famous "Green Mountain Boys" which was Vermont's own military. Kentucky The origins of Kentucky's name is also complicated. Though, originally referring to the Kentucky River but it could be the Native American Tribe of Iroquoian ''meaning "''On the Meadow" ''or ''"On the Prairie" ''even Mohawk word of ''kenhtà:ke and Seneca word of gëdá’geh so creating another Native American name "Keta-Keh" which means At the field. Tennessee The name of Tennessee came from the Old English name "Tanasi" ''which derived from the Cherokee word ''ᏔᎾᏏ ''which was an actual town in the would-be state. Ohio The name of Ohio came from another Seneca word known as ''ohi:yo which means "Large Creek" and it referrs to both the Ohio and Allegheny Rivers. Louisiana Like New York, the origins of the name Louisiana are simple, but yet complicated. Yes the state was named after King Louis XIV as this was once a huge territory. But the name goes back to the time of early France (then called Kingdom of The Franks) with the name Hulda, ''meaning ''Famous or Heard of. Indiana The name of Indiana came from the saying "Land of The Indians" as the state was once a part of the Indian Reserve ''after the British won the ''French and Indian War. But, the word "Indian" referrs to the old term by Europeans that described the Native American, it is also from the Proto-Indo Iranian word "Sindhu" which referrs to the Indus River, the largest river in India. Mississippi The origins of the name for Mississippi came from the Old Native American Tribe, the Ojibwe which referr to the river that borders the west which the Ojibwes called "misi-ziibi" which means "Great River" ''referring to the Mississippi River. Illinois It is complicated to know where the origins of the name Illinois. But it came from the French word for the Angloquian word ''ilenweewa ''which means ''"Speak Normally", and it also derived from the Old Ottawan word of Illiniwek. ''It could also referr to a Native American tribe that once spoke their own language which would bear the name of the tribe. Alabama The origins for the name Aabama came from another Native American tribe known as the ''"Choctaws" who used the word albah amo meaning "Cutting down plants", and the state can have some thick vegitation with it's Bayous. Maine There are several origins for the name Maine. It could just simply be derived from Main, ''but the origins are a bit more complicated. In English, it could also be a reference to a British town called ''"Broadmayne" ''which is the hometown of Sir Fernando Geroges, who established the colony. It could also referr to the French province which is also called Maine. Missouri The origins of the name Missouri referrs to the Illinois Native American Tribe that described their neighboring Tribe (called the Missouris) after what is called the ''"Dugout Canoe". Arkansas Another Native American Tribe is referred in the name of Arkansas, named the Kansa which was coined by the Illinois Native American Tribe which is also coined by the French. It was also used to referr the Quapaw. Michigan The origins of the name Michigan may sound a bit Japanese, but (of course) it isn't, it derived from another Ojibwe name called "Mishi-Gami" which means in Ojibwe "Large Lake". A very good etymology because Michigan is surrounded by the Great Lakes. This Blog Page will Continue in part 2 which will come at a later time. Until then, this is JohnnyOTGS signing out. Category:Blog posts